West Tennesseans deserve fair and simple tax reform

Throughout this year, I have had the great fortune of meeting with thousands of incredible, hard-working West Tennesseans. In each conversation, I hear your unique perspectives and ideas, but these discussions have a common thread: we need tax reform.

The American tax code is broken, and you are ready for tax reform that will bring better jobs, higher wages and the ability to keep your hard-earned money.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and the Trump administration released a framework for historic tax reform that will finally put the American people first.

With President Trump’s strong leadership and a unified Congress, now is the time to provide relief from government bureaucracy. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Believe it or not, the last time our country achieved real tax reform was in 1986 under President Ronald Reagan. Today, our current code is too complicated and riddled with special interest loopholes. Most importantly, it is not working for the American people.

You and your families deserve better, and there are two principles that are critical to successful tax reform: it must be simple, and it must be fair.

A simpler tax code will relieve the burden on the middle class.

Americans are spending too much time and money filing taxes. Today, our tax code is more than 70,000 pages long. Hearing that outrageous number, it is no mystery as to why nine out of 10 Americans are forced to pay an expert or purchase a computer program to file their taxes. This means that, on top of the money already being taken by the government, individuals and families are spending even more of their hard-earned money just to file their taxes.

Under our new plan, most individuals will be able to file their taxes on a single sheet of paper.

For the last 30 years, Americans have associated tax season with stress and burden. Individuals and businesses spend a combined 6 billion hours each year complying with the tax code, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate. That will all change under our new tax reform plan.

Our new tax system must be fair for individuals and families.

In 2016 alone, Tennesseans payed a combined $65 billion in taxes — that is 20 percent of our state economy. Our plan will cut taxes and allow you to keep more money in your pockets.

We will double the standard deduction so that less of your income is subject to federal taxes. This means that the first $12,000 earned by an individual — and the first $24,000 earned by a family — will be exempt from taxation.

In fact, our plan will help families in a number of ways. We will increase and expand the Child Tax Credit, eliminate the marriage penalty and create a new $500 tax credit for those caring for an adult dependent or elderly loved one. We will consolidate the tax brackets from seven into three and create a fairer system that will lift an enormous amount of burden.

As ideas are brought to the table and more details of the plan are filled in, I will fight for our rural and urban communities in the 8th District. This is a critical point for our country and our economy in West Tennessee. Relief from taxes will give you back power over your own money and revive the American spirit.

I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues in Congress to get results for the 8th District of Tennessee.

Congressman David Kustoff represents Tennessee's 8th District, which includes 13 counties and portions of Shelby and Benton counties.